


Answers

by TheArcReactor (LazarusII)



Series: Marvel One-Shots [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arc Reactor, Arc Reactor Issues, Character Death In Dream, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Tony Stark, Iron Man 2, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Near Death Experiences, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-11-29 07:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11435853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazarusII/pseuds/TheArcReactor
Summary: After finding files on Tony Stark's past, Natasha lets time play out for a while. (Takes place during Iron man 2). While the genius billionaire has a knack for being over-the-top and quite shallow at first glance, Nat quickly notices something deeper. Something is hurting Tony deeply... something that he needs to get off of his chest.A fic where Natasha forces Tony Stark to talk to her... and he tells the truth.-Quick Iron Man 2 "deleted scene"-





	Answers

**Author's Note:**

> Mild Iron Man 2 Spoilers. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> 2/26/18, reworking my old one-shots. Finding a few problems in every re-read.

 

Natasha had been pouring over documents all day, digging through SHIELD records for hours, looking for answers. Something was wrong with Stark, something serious. She had read his bio, analyzed his person, and watched him for months now. There was a very clear difference between how he was acting now, from earlier. 

\---

 

His daily habits used to involve a lot of tinkering with tech, doing small bouts of work for his company (here and there), and being chased around the mansion by a very stressed-out Pepper. For most of the day, however, he was barricaded in his workshop. During this time, he'd manage to poke his head upstairs at _least_ once every few hours, usually sending some random comment or statement at them, successfully driving them crazy.

The first sign of change came (surprisingly) with his sleeping habits. To anyone else, this change might have gone right over their heads, but not to Pepper or Nat. Pepper had noticed it in the beginning, commenting to Natasha about Tony looking a little more tired than usual. This didn't surprise anyone. After all, the man was quite eccentric and known for his spontaneous ideas and projects, not to mention his sleeping habits which took a low slot in his "priorities" list. It was only when the 'tired look' began to get more and more common, that Natasha finally agreed that something was amiss. Unfortunately, she hadn't been given time to ask him as he ended up shutting himself in his workshop, following the events in court. 

Maybe it was being called out in front of the whole country? Maybe it was the idea of the government taking his suits? Natasha didn't honestly know what was going on. Records, observations, and theories could only take one so far. And when that person was under cover for SHIELD and working full time... there was not much time to concentrate on it. 

The second thing to change had been his social life. Yes, the stubborn man had locked himself inside of his workshop, but that was normal in itself. What  _wasn't_ normal, was how he never came upstairs anymore. It was as though the man no longer existed. Pepper had become stressed out and irritable, which did not help in the slightest. If she were in a better mood, maybe he would have come out... 

_Nope._

In short, Tony Stark's social life disappeared. 

 

The third, and largest thing that Natasha noticed was the way that he saw her as a person. While he had flirted and acted all mushy for her in the beginning, he now seemed in a rush. On the rare occasion that she would come into contact with Stark, he would look at her strangely, with a shadowed look in his eyes, almost hungry. 

 

The time that really sparked her worry for the man she was helping him get ready for his birthday party... 

Sitting on the couch, head tipped to one side while she applied makeup over the bruise on his face, he'd finally lowered a part of the mask, inadvertently showing her a lot more than he would have intended.  

 

_"Hey... can I ask you a question...hypothetically? It's a bit odd..."_

 

Instantly alert, she'd listened with keen ears, all the while maintaining the calm persona of Natalie. As she looked into his eyes, she saw something there. 

 

_Hesitation._

_Loneliness_ _..._

_Passion._

 

 

_Pain...?_

 

 _"If..."_ He'd pinched the bridge of his nose nervously,  _"if this was the last birthday you were ever going to have... how would you celebrate it?"_

 

 That was it. 

 

"What the hell? Natalie?" Stark rubbed his arm where she had grabbed it, "what are you doing?" 

 

Hand locked around his upper arm, Natasha forced him to down onto the couch, sitting across from him on the ottoman, her arms folded. 

 

They were in the dim living room, overlooking the sunset. Neither of them keen on disturbing the rare silence, there had not been any move to turn on the lights. Stark's expression was visible, barely . Brow creased and eyes framed by tiredness, his indignant face looked back at Natasha's.

 

Leaning over, she reached for the coffee table, flicking on the small lamp.  

 

_Time to get some real answers._

 

"Spill it," she temporarily dropped the mask of 'Natalie', letting the harsher voice of Natasha Romanov take over, "what is going on with you? You know what I'm talking about!" 

 

Glaring at the billionaire, she let him shiver under her gaze. After a few tense moments, he finally melted. 

Natasha was half-expecting a quick reply and a sarcastic comment about her abrupt change of personality, but received none. Instead, the man sighed and pulled something from his pocket. It was a small device that she recognized as a blood toxicity meter.

 

_Poisoning? This can't be good..._

 

He shut his eyes for a moment before inserting his finger into the device. There was a soft hiss and the screen lit up. Tilted away from her as it was, she could not make out anything, but the result clearly worried Tony as his face lost color. 

 

Standing up, she strode forwards and looked down. 

[Blood toxicity: 24%]

 

 _That_... 

Natasha froze. Of all the different health problems that she knew Stark had, this _wasn't_ one of the ones she would have guessed. Everyone close to the man knew about the potential risks of having the arc reactor, but what they knew was only a fraction of the potentially harmful aspects of it. Clearly, this was a relatively new development... but not _very_ new. The behavior had been going on for a while... The fact that his blood held such a high toxicity and he'd been able to withstand it was amazing. 

"Stark..." she whispered in dismay, not knowing how to respond to it.

To her, the world had just begun to make much more sense. It had crossed her mind, especially after their conversation before the party... but seeing it confirmed was so much more than just plain suspicion. Dismay quickly turned to anger as she absorbed what she'd just been shown.

 

_Selfish bastard, he's been hiding this for a while... and I never noticed it until now? It's all finally making sense... how pale he is all the time, how he doesn't sleep, why he's suddenly thinking of his 'legacy'..._

_Stupid to hide this. Saving himself the trouble of telling us._

 

"Who knows?" She asked, forcing herself say something.

"Rhodey," came the quiet reply. 

 _Figures_.

"Why don't you tell her?" She asked, "you know that Pepper cares about you."

Tony let out a forced laugh, "she... has enough on her plate because of me, doesn't seem like a good time. I did just give her my company."

 

Natasha snorted and returned to her seat.

"Might make things difficult in the future," she looked him in the eye, "she will find out, one way or another. You don't have much time, do you?" 

 

He shook his head, his head drooping. 

 

Trying to get anything else out of him was useless. He'd sealed his lips. After a while of unsuccessful coaxing, Natasha left him alone to stare out the window. Night was falling and the sun was just barely visible over the ocean. 

Leaving him to his staring, Natasha exited the room. 

 

"Shit!" She muttered and hurried up the stairs, fumbling in her pocket for her cell phone. 

Gripping it tightly, she scrolled through her contacts until she found it:

 

_[Nick Fury]_

 

Pressing "call" she raised the phone to her ear, throwing the door to her room open. The cursed thing rattled on its hinges, bouncing back from the wall and slamming shut. 

 

_Too bad._

 

It was time to get Tony's Stark back into the game...

But it wasn't going to be easy...

_And she hoped that it wasn't too late..._

 

 

 

 


End file.
